The agenda for the upcoming Tribal Alliance for Pollinators conference has been announced and we have a fantastic line-up of speakers! Don't miss your chance to attend -- register today!

For a printable copy of the agenda, please click HERE. For a travel scholarship application, please click HERE.

September 21, 2021: Field Trip

Field trip to The Gathering Place (www.gatheringplace.org), a new 100-acre, $465 million public park that opened in 2018 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This unique and breathtaking facility along the scenic Arkansas River is a dynamic, interactive environment that provides a welcoming, natural space for members of diverse communities to come together to explore, learn and play. It has won numerous awards, including being voted Best New Attraction in America by USA Today and was selected as one of Time Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places in 2019. The park includes seventeen acres of professionally designed and installed native plant restoration. Our field trip will be a behind the scenes tour of the park’s gardens and native plant installations led by Kellyn Register, Horticulture Manager at the Gathering Place. Box lunches will be provided for registered conference attendees.

September 22, 2021: Restoring Our Lands

• Introduction to Tribal Alliance for Pollinators: How We Can Assist You in Land Restoration. Jane Breckinridge (Muscogee/Yuchi), Tribal Alliance for Pollinators
• Saving the Monarch Butterfly: Why This Iconic Species is in More Trouble Than Ever Before and What You Can Do to Help Prevent Their Extinction. Dr. Chip Taylor, Monarch Watch at University of Kansas 
• Monarch Tagging Demonstration by Monarch Watch Tagging Program Founder Dr. Chip Taylor. Special Bonus! Session participants will each be able to tag a monarch! Dr. Chip Taylor, Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas
• USDA-NRCS Programs for Pollinators, Monarch Butterflies and Seasonal High Tunnels. Dr. Carol Couch (Salish Kootenai), USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service State Tribal Liaison for Oklahoma
• Starting a Native Plant Nursery, Plus an Introduction to Irrigation Methods and Holistic Pest Management. Dr. Jeremiah Pinto (Diné), Research Plant Physiologist and Tribal Nursery Specialist, US Forest Service.
• Beekeeping 101: What Tribes Need to Know Before Getting Started. Dr. Chip Taylor, Monarch Watch at University of Kansas 
• Understanding the Prairie Ecosystem and Learning How to Identify Important Plants for Pollinators (field session at Euchee Butterfly Farm prairie). Dr. Priscilla Crawford, Oklahoma Biological Survey, and Amy Buthod, Robert Bebb Herbarium at the University of Oklahoma.
• Tour of the Euchee Butterfly Farm and Greenhouses. Euchee Butterfly Farm staff

Lunch included with conference registration. Please stay after the conference sessions on September 22^nd and join us for a traditional Yuchi/Euchee dinner!

September 23, 2021: Building Our Resiliency

• The Top Ten Things That You and Your Tribe Can Do to Build Resilience to Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events. April Taylor (Chickasaw), Tribal Liaison South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, and Collin Spriggs (Cherokee), Tribal Alliance for Pollinators
• Food Sovereignty and Decolonizing Your Diet: Understanding Why We Need to Save Native Corn Species and Other Traditional Indigenous Foods in Order to Save Ourselves. Kent Sanmann (Kiowa), Assistant City-Planner, Moore, Oklahoma.
• The TAP Seed Bank Project: How a Small Nonprofit Organization Created the Largest Native Plant Seed Bank in Oklahoma (and How to Get Started Creating One of Your Own).  Jane Breckinridge (Muscogee/Yuchi) and Brandon Gibson (Diné/Cherokee/Choctaw), Tribal Alliance for Pollinators.
• Tribal Data Sovereignty: Protecting What’s Sacred.  Andrew Gourd (Seneca Cayuga/Cherokee), Archeologist, Raba Kistner Inc
• Panel Discussion: The Impact of Tribal Data Sovereignty Concerns on Relationships with Conservation Organizations, Academia, Government and Private Industry. Andrew Gourd (Seneca Cayuga/Cherokee), Dr. Richard Grounds (Yuchi/Seminole/Muscogee), Dr. Jeremiah Pinto (Diné), Julie Norem (Muscogee), Jane Breckinridge (Muscogee/Yuchi)
• Ta’ya’yûnE! How the Yuchi Language Project is Using Monarch Butterfly Conservation to Help Preserve Indigenous Language. Dr. Richard Grounds (Yuchi/Seminole/Muscogee), Yuchi Language Project Founder/Director
• Environmental Issues Roundtable: Equipping Ourselves to Meet the Challenges of Managing Indigenous Lands and Increasing Sustainability in the 21st Century.  Small group breakout sessions followed by large group discussion.
• What is a Weed?  An Introduction to Invasive Species Management During an Era of Changing Climatic Conditions (field session at Euchee Butterfly Farm prairie). Tribal Alliance for Pollinators staff

Lunch included with conference registration. Please join us on September 23^rd for a dinner catered by the restaurant that pioneered sustainable dining in Tulsa, Elote!

September 24, 2021: Preserving Our Future

• Seed Collection 101: Expert Tips and Tricks for Making Your Harvest of Native Plant Seeds More Successful (field session at Euchee Butterfly Farm prairie). Tribal Alliance for Pollinators staff
• Fantastic Bees and How to Save Them: Learn How Native Bees Live Their Lives and Why They Need Your Help. Dr. James Hung, Oklahoma Biological Survey
• Seed Cleaning 101: Understanding How to Handle Wild Collected Native Plant Seed to Maximize Viability. Tribal Alliance for Pollinators staff
• Tour of Native Plant Restoration on Oil Field Reclamation Site (field session at Euchee Butterfly Farm). Tribal Alliance for Pollinators staff
• Funding Resources to Assist You and Your Tribe with Conservation Initiatives and Native Plant Resources.

Conference ends at 1:00 on September 24th. Lunch included with registration.

TAP is taking precautions to ensure your health and safety at our upcoming conference, as well as the health and safety of our staff and their families. The TAP community includes several individuals at high-risk for serious complications from COVID infection and therefore we will be strictly following CDC and Muscogee Nation Department of Health guidelines.

The conference will be held outdoors at the Euchee Butterfly Farm in our beautiful outdoor event space. Located in a towering grove of magnificent, centuries-old pecan trees, this event space features open air seating for 100 guests and includes a 40' x 80' event tent if needed for rain. Our indoor spaces have HEPA air filters and open windows. We have a fully-vaccinated staff, and our facilities have multiple hand-washing and hand sanitizing stations conveniently located in all areas. Social distancing protocols will maintained throughout the conference. Masks will be required for attendees when indoors.

We hope you will join us for this opportunity to learn from top experts how to:

Registration is FREE and travel scholarships are available to pay for travel and hotel expenses. The conference will be held at the Euchee Butterfly Farm (www.NativeButterflies.org), just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to indoor and outdoor meeting space, the farm includes 13-acres of intact native prairie, native plant greenhouses, the largest native plant seed bank in the region, and thousands of beautiful native butterflies in a walk-through aviary.

Bonus! The conference will include a field trip to tour the native plant installations at The Gathering Place (www.GatheringPlace.org) in Tulsa! Opened in 2019 as the largest public park created in modern history in the United States, this unprecedented green space in the heart of Tulsa sits on 100 acres adjacent to the Arkansas River. It's a gathering space designed to bring all aspects of the community together and includes 26 acres of professionally installed native plant restoration.

At TAP conferences, there is a balance of presentations by specialists in their respective fields, outdoor activities such as native plant identification walks, round-table discussions, and occasional surprise guests. Oh, and of course there's always plenty of delicious food!

Some of our renowned speakers this year include:



• Dr. Chip Taylor, renowned monarch expert and founder/director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas
• Dr. Jeremiah Pinto, US Forest Service plant physiologist and tribal nursery specialist
• Dr. Carol Crouch, USDA-NRCS State Tribal Liaison for Oklahoma
• Dr. Richard Grounds, founder/director of the Yuchi Language Project.

Don't miss it -- register today!

We are limiting registration numbers so please register now while space is still available!

Sincerely,

Jane Breckinridge

Tribal Alliance for Pollinators

[email protected]